12"/46 (30.5 cm) Model 1909

Battleship Dante Alighieri. This was the first ship to carry large caliber guns in triple turrets. Note the arrangement of funnels. Photograph by Malandrini Ferrucclo, Alinari Archives-Florence.

Description

These were of two types, Elswick Pattern "T" and Vickers Mark "G". Elswick guns armed the Dante class while Vickers armed the Doria class. The guns for Cavour were manufactured in Italy by Vickers-Terni while those of Leonardo da Vinci were built by Armstrongs in Britain and those of Cesare were manufactured by the Italian branch of Armstrongs at Pozzuoli in Naples. The mountings were all hydraulically operated.

The delivery of these weapons was greatly delayed, the average being over one year later than planned. For Cavour, this delay would have been even longer, but guns intended for Doria were used when her construction was delayed.

In the 1930s many of these guns were bored out to 32 cm (12.6") for the reconstructed Cesare and Duilio class battleships, but some were retained in their original caliber and used in coastal artillery batteries.

Mark "G" was a fully wire-wound type with inner A, A, B tubes, jacket and breech ring. Pattern "T" had an inner A tube, A tube in two parts joined by screwed collar, B tube and half-length wire, jacket and short breech ring. A pneumatically operated Welin breech block was used for both.

Ammunition supply was hydraulically powered while the elevation machinery was an electrical-hydraulic system.

^1.11.2Please note that although Q turret on these ships could train a full 360 degrees, it could not fire directly forward or aft without striking the superstructure of the ship.

Additional Pictures

Caio Duilio about 1917. Photograph by De Pinto Donazione, Alinari Archives-Florence.Forecastle of MM Andrea Doria as viewed from the bridge about 1918. Note the 3"/50 (7.62 cm) anti-torpedo boat guns on both turrets. In my estimation, this indicates that "B" turret, although in a "superfiring" position, could not actually fire over "A" turret, a limitation which was typical of British-designed mountings of the time. Photograph copyrighted by Giorgio Ciorgerini.Forward Turrets on Caio Duilio during construction ca. 1912. Photograph by De Pinto Donazione, Alinari Archives-Florence.Amidships turret on Dante Alighieri. Marina Militare Photograph.